


The Hero, The Thief, and The Professor

by Anichibi



Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Gen, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, World of Light (Super Smash Brothers), i dont actually know how to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:20:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22447072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anichibi/pseuds/Anichibi
Summary: El and Akira get separated from the rest of their group and are left to fend for themselves until they manage to regroup. Luckily, a new ally makes things a bit easier.
Relationships: Hero | Luminary (Dragon Quest XI)/Persona 5 Protagonist
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was ONLY created because i kept getting scenes in my head and i know i'd go crazy if i didn't write them. also byleth comes out today and i'm SUPER excited for that so i went "fuck it. byleth." we all need rpg protag bonding in our lives okay
> 
> also the beginning of this was lowkey like rushed and i forgot to read it over to fix it i'm so sorry please trust me this gets better

The group walked along the beaten path, keeping an eye out for any puppets that were lying in wait to attack. They reached a bridge passing over a river and began to walk across. They hadn't encountered any of those puppets in a while, so they allowed themselves to relax. Then, a black arrow flew at them and hit the bridge, snapping a few ropes. Most of the group had made it across, but two still remained on the bridge. El and Joker both struggled to keep their balance as they tried to run to the other side. Another arrow zipped past and cut the ropes on the other side, causing the whole bridge to fall apart. The hero and thief went tumbling into the river as their friends watched in fear. Solo shoved to the front. "El! Joker!" A dark blur passed by him and surprised him, nearly making him fall into the river as well before Erdrick grabbed his shoulders and helped him steady himself. When they looked again, the two were out of sight.

Joker was terrible at swimming, and panic was clouding his mind. The only thing keeping his head up out of water was the steady descent of the otherwise vicious waters. "El! I-I can't-" He couldn't finish his sentence as his head fell underwater. In that time, he was slammed headfirst into a rock, the force knocking him out cold.

The thief floated in his unconscious state, and El panicked as he noticed the faint red staining his head. He struggled to get closer, but eventually, he was able to get a secure hold on the other, holding him close to his body. El looked around in hopes of figuring out some way to get to safety and came up with an idea. Charging his magic, he cast Kaswoosh below himself, sending him and the thief flying, and casting a quick Woosh to the side to direct them to the ground. El shielded the other from the branches that scraped against his skin, as well as a very harsh landing that nearly knocked El himself out. His sword and shield both made for very uncomfortable cushions, and El cried out as his back hit the ground.

He laid there for a long time, shifting Joker off him to lay on the ground next to him. His whole body was cold, his clothes were soaking, and his body ached. He recalled Joker's head injury and forced himself up to move closer and inspect the wound. It was a nasty gash, but a quick mid-level healing spell did the trick and it disappeared with only a small, faint scar left behind. Satisfied, El removed his sword and shield from his back before he fell back onto the ground. He doesn't remember when he fell asleep.

When El woke up, it was beginning to grow dark. He could hear movement behind him, and when he sat up and looked, he saw Akira trying and failing to start a fire. "C'mon, dammit. How hard can it be to set a bunch of twigs on fire?" He muttered. El forced himself up and headed over to the other. "Oh, hey. You're awake."

"Yeah. Do you feel okay?" Akira tilted his head in confusion. "You hit your head in the river. It knocked you out. You were bleeding, too."

"I was...? Well, I'm fine now. A bit lightheaded, but that's all." He answered.

"That's a relief..." El sat in front of the unlit pile of sticks and watched Akira attempt to start a fire again. "Do you need help?" He asked.

"I... yeah." Akira sighed and slumped in defeat. "I know when I'm beat. Show me your ways, master." The thief said with a flourish. El laughed quietly.

"Alright, well, there's a little trick to it. And that trick is..." El formed a small fireball in his hand and shot it at the pile of sticks, the wood instantly catching fire. "Magic."

The rustling of a bush nearby caught their attention. El stood up with a sword in hand and Akira's clothes changed to his Joker garb, gun and knife in hand. From the bush came a blue-haired man with a strange sword that almost looked like it was made of bone. The stoic man regarded them with an unreadable expression, but he shifted to an offensive stance. "You're not gonna attack us, are you?" Akira asked, his guard up now.

The man studied the two for a brief moment. "If there is no need to, then no. Besides, you two appear to need help." The man relaxed, lowering his sword. El did the same, letting it fall from his hand and hit the ground. Akira's clothes returned to normal in a puff of blue flame before he spoke. "I don't suppose you have a name?"

"My name is Byleth. And you are?"

"I'm Akira. This is El. We had others with us, but we got attacked and separated. Your help really would be appreciated." Akira explained. Byleth nodded.

"I'll lend whatever support I can."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes there's more i'm posting two chapters in the span of five minutes that's bc this was getting really long and i went "fuck it. multi chapter." hopefully this one WONT take like a year to finish oop.

Hunting food was easy, thankfully. Byleth proved himself to be an excellent marksman, and they had their reward cooking as soon as they returned to their camp. By the time they cooked and ate their meal, the sun was long gone from the sky and the moon hung high above their heads.

El shrugged off his jacket, yawning as he stretched. Akira laughed quietly. "Tired already?."

"It's been a long day. I just hope we can regroup with the others before whoever attacked us finds us again." El replied. Byleth was eyeing him strangely, which El chose to ignore until he started prodding at his back. El choked out a weak, pained noise. Akira was glaring at the man now. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?!"

Byleth wordlessly lifted the back of El's shirt, a large bruise revealing itself. "How did you get this bruise?"

"I... I guess, long story short, a big metal shield isn't a good cushion for landing..." El replied weakly. "I was too exhausted to heal it, so I was putting up with it while I get my strength back. That fall took a lot out of me..." He ignored the concerned look he was getting from Akira.

"I see. Please, allow me." Before El could ask, Byleth had cast a spell and the bruise was gone without a trace, and so was the pain that came with it. El touched his back and almost seemed surprised to feel no pain. El watched Byleth return to his previous spot on the ground, an expression of gratitude stuck on his lips. "No need to thank me. I am just glad to help."

El smiled softly at Byleth and the older man returned the gesture. Then El felt a tug on his sleeve and looked to Akira giving him a concerned stare through the lens of his glasses. "Can we talk?" El nodded wordlessly and let Akira pull him to his feet and lead him a small distance away from the fire, out of earshot from Byleth. The two sat facing the river.

"Why didn't you tell me you got hurt?! I could've healed you, you know!" Akira asked in a hushed whisper, visibly upset.

"I-I'm sorry, I just..." El looked scared, like he thought Akira was angry. Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. Akira sighed and his expression softened.

"Look, I- I'm not mad, okay? I just... You had me worried, you know? Besides, you got hurt because of me, and instead of healing yourself, you chose to help me instead. I really can't express how grateful I am for your help. I want to help you in return. Please, if there's ever anything you need, just let me help. I know I just complimented you for being selfless, but I don't think it's good to be _too_ selfless, ya know?" Akira rubbed the other's back as he spoke. El looked ready to cry, but for an entirely different reason than before. El hugged Akira tight, the thief sitting surprised before he awkwardly returned the hug. El stayed for a while, and Akira wasn't all that surprised to hear a soft snore after a short while.

Akira lifted the hero up and returned to their camp. He set El down on the ground and put the boy's jacket over him before sitting opposite of Byleth in front of the fire. "It's rather late, isn't it? You should rest as well. No doubt we have a long day ahead of us once the sun rises." Byleth stated, not looking at Akira as he threw a small piece of wood into the fire.

"You should sleep too. I doubt having one of us be half asleep is a great idea." Akira replied, yawning. "But yeah, I'll sleep. El alone gets on my case for it enough. G'night." Akira folded up his sweatshirt into a makeshift pillow and laid down on his side, facing away from the fire. After a few minutes, he was fast asleep.

Byleth sighed. Today had been a long day for him. He woke up in this weird world, kept running into enemies, and he still didn't have any answers about what was happening. But, he thought as he looked at the two sleeping by the fire, at least he managed to meet up with a small but capable group. Akira shuddered in his sleep and Byleth removed his coat and draped it over the boy before he sat back down. "You're still awake." said the ever-present voice in his head.

"And you're awake for once. How unusual for you." Byleth smiled as Sothis huffed in annoyance.

"Harhar, very funny. The boy is right, you know. You should be sleeping as well. I can tell you're quite exhausted."

"I can't get anything past you. Alright, you win."

Sothis yawned. "Good. Now, it's about time for me to... sleep... as well..." Sothis went quiet, and Byleth had no doubt she fell asleep. He lay down on his back and stared up at the stars before sleep took him as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i swear i'm not trying to shove luminjoker propaganda into this fic, but i am absolutely trying to shove luminjoker propaganda into this fic. i am allowed to ship my smash mains if i want so don't judge me. i'm not gonna tag it (yet) bc like. yall know me. i'm stupid.
> 
> also sothis and byleth bicker like siblings don't fucking @ me


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BYLETH IS OUT NOW AND HE'S SO FUN I JEIDUEHEJF8CISHE MR BYLETH EISNER ILY HEIFUSJRIFIAAHAH
> 
> anyway me screaming aside, i tried writing a fight scene and personally? i think it's pretty solid. i don't usually write these so please let me know if it's bad. i'm a big idiot.

When they woke up the next morning, they packed up their small amount of supplies and set off in hopes of finding their friends. Byleth stuck to the back while El took the lead with Akira by his side. The two learned a few things about their newest comrade as they fought. Byleth wielded four weapons, his Sword of the Creator, a bow known as Failnaught, an ax named Aymr, and a lance called Areadbhar. They all looked similar to the Sword of the Creator, though Byleth was unable to explain why.

A blur passed overhead between the trees and Byleth studied it carefully before sending the tip of his whip-like sword at the blur, yanking it down into the ground. A black-winged angel came crashing to the ground, recovering quickly as he stared at the three. "This must be Dark Pit. Pit was really worried about him." Akira commented. Dark Pit pulled apart his Silver Bow into twin blades, then gestured for them to come at him. Glowing red eyes stared at them with an empty look to them.

"I-It looks like we'll have to fight..." El stated hesitantly. Dark Pit charged at them, and the three split in different directions. Byleth ran to the left while Akira went right. El charged up a spell and sent himself up with Kaswoosh, charging a fireball immediately after as he ascended. The cutting winds hit Dark Pit and sent him flying upwards, where El then sent a huge fireball at him and sent him flying.

Akira grabbed him with his grappling hook and pulled him down to slam him into the ground. Dark Pit anticipated it this time, as he landing a kick on Akira's shoulder before he hit the ground and causing the thief to cry out in pain. When Akira recovered, he was too slow to dodge another kick coming to his legs and he was knocked to the ground, his head slamming against the dirt.

Dark Pit readied an attack, but before he could strike, something hit him in the back. When he turned, he saw Byleth standing a good distance away, Failnaught drawn. Dark Pit began to charge before he was tripped. Akira had gotten the chain of his grappling hook around the angel's ankle and the thief smirked as Arsene emerged from his heart. "Arsene! Eigaon!" The curse spell was flung at the dark angel and struck true, the knockback sending him sliding across the ground. He stood back up, not noticing El running up to his before he was hit with a lightning spell. The angel's bow fell from his hands as he screamed. He stood there breathless and dizzy, black dots dancing across his vision. "Byleth, now!" A voice yelled, he couldn't tell whose. He turned just in time to see Aymr coming down on him. He was knocked out immediately as it hit. His bright red eyes returned to a dull ruby color as he fell with a thud. What seemed like faint light threads connected to his body snapped and faded away.

Akira limped over to the two, Arsene returning to his heart where he resided. "Did we do it?" He asked, eyeing the bruised angel. Byleth knelt down and healed his wounds as El healed Akira.

"I... I hope so. For Pit's sake _and_ ours." El replied.

"He won't be waking up for a while. We were rather rough with him." Byleth stated plainly. El looked at the sleeping angel with guilt. "He seemed strong, so I suppose our... excessive force was necessary."

"He's strong, just like Pit said." Akira sighed. "I had to find that out the hard way, unfortunately. Guy's got a mean kick." He added as he rubbed his shoulder where he was hit. "I'm glad we managed to beat him, though." He sighed again, this time with relief.

"We should keep moving. We need to find the others before we get attacked again. I don't think we'll get so lucky next time." El stated. Akira, with some help, got the angel up on his back in a secure hold. Once that was done, they set off again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is gonna end up being longer than i meant for it to be oops. oh well

Dark Pit cracked his eyes open slowly, mind fuzzy. What the hell even happened to him? He struggled to remember. He sat up and saw a blue-haired man in a black coat sitting by the fire Dark Pit just noticed was burning. It came back to him. This guy knocked him out cold and saved him from Galeem's control. His pride told him to hate him with all he had, but the rational part of him said he wouldn't have been freed otherwise.

The man had said nothing to him, even as he looked him straight in the eyes. It was hard to read this guy's expression, Dark Pit noticed. "Who are you?" He asked, a bit more bite to his voice than what he considered necessary, but he didn't care much for being nice to some stranger.

"Byleth. You're Dark Pit, correct?"

Dark Pit was taken aback. How did he know his name? "How do you know that?" The dark angel's glare grew more intense as he spoke. Byleth paid no heed.

"Akira said your name when you appeared. Said how Pit was worried about you." Byleth stated as he threw some wood onto the dying fire.

Dark Pit scoffed. "Pit stain can keep worrying. It doesn't matter to me." He pulled up his knees to his chest and crossed his arms, resting his head on them atop his knees.

"You're worried about him too, aren't you?"

"Why the hell would I be worried about him?! I don't care what happens to that idiot!"

"I see. I apologize for making assumptions, then." Byleth returned to staring into the fire, leaving Dark Pit alone once again and giving the angel time to think.

In truth, he was actually worried about Pit. He told himself it was just because he literally couldn't exist without the idiot, but part of him knew that wasn't true. Pit's kinda like... the brother Dark Pit wasn't aware he needed. Sure he was loud and obnoxious and called him dumb nicknames, and sure they butted heads when Dark Pit first came to be, but once Hades was gone, Pit started being so... nice to him. Even when he believed he didn't deserve it. He didn't know much about families - hell, he didn't know much about anything, to tell the truth - but he imagined this was what familial love was. Having someone who's nice to you even when you two butt heads and get on each other's nerves. Someone who feels like family. Like... home.

Dark Pit sighed. Mushy thoughts didn't suit him.

He tried to focus on something else to distract himself and get useless thoughts out of his head, but he only resulted in getting another useless thought. "Weren't there two more of you idiots?"

"Akira and El went on ahead for a bit to see where we're heading next. They shouldn't take long."

Dark Pit scoffed and rolled his eyes. Whatever they were doing was none of his business, but he didn't feel like arguing with Byleth about that. "Thanks, asshole."

"You're welcome."

\---

"Well, looks like the path splits here." Akira stated as the two reached a fork in the road, one way going uphill while the other was a steady decline down.

"We should head back. I don't think going down one of these alone is a good idea." El suggested.

"It won't hurt to just peak, will it? C'mon." Akira turned down one of the paths, still looking to El seeing if he would follow. As a result, he ended up walking into a few branches and backpedaled away when he did. A few leaves got stuck in his hair. "Why didn't you tell me I was walking right into a branch?" He asked as he began brushing the leaves off his head.

"Well, you didn't listen to me, so I was going to _leaf_ you alone." El replied. Akira gave him a slightly unamused look, but he could tell the other was trying not to laugh.

"Are you serious right now?"

"What, am I too much of a _joker_ for you?" The hero continued.

"Stop." Akira stated plainly in his best unamused voice, but the fact he started giggling after told El he didn't actually mean it.

"Seriously though, we should get back. We've been gone for a while now. Come on."

"Alright. Lead the way."

The two walked in silence, relaxed and tired. Akira stopped in his tracks for a moment before his Joker outfit appeared on his body and he knocked El to the ground, laying protectively on top of him. He fired a bullet at a boomerang that had been flying at the hero, knocking it off course and sending it back to its owner. Link ran out from the trees and was hit upside the head by his own weapon. Akira got up, helping El up. "Sorry about shoving you like that. You alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Akira sighed in relief before returning his attention to Link. His arm shot up and he took aim with his gun. Link, still recovering from the hit, glared at Akira.

Link reached for his boomerang again and threw it straight at El. "You really think that'll work the second time around?" When Akira tried to shoot it off course again, an arrow knocked his gun from his hand. He cursed under his breath and the boomerang hit El square in the head while they were both distracted. The hero stumbled backward and rubbed his forehead. "Ow..."

Link caught his boomerang and he looked rather upset. "I-I'm sorry, I-I thought you two were more of those puppets or something, I didn't mean to-"

Akira's demeanor changed quickly and his clothes changed back to normal in the blink of an eye. "I see this is all just a big misunderstanding on both our parts. I thought you were another of those people being controlled like Dark Pit was. Sorry for uh..."

"No hard feelings. Are you alright?" Link gestured to El. El nodded in response. "Good. I'm really sorry again."

"Gee, you almost apologize as much as El does." The hero shot a glare at the thief, who laughed it off as he pat his back. "Anyway, we were just heading back to the rest of our group. Do you wanna join us?"

"I... Sure. My name is Link. What about you two?"

"I'm Akira. This is El. Glad to have you with us, Link." The thief offered his hand to the swordsman, who took it and gave it a firm shake before the group continued their walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> highkey i never actually planned for link to appear in this fic it just kinda happened. i got one of these scenes in my head and went "yup. add it." just like literally everything else about this fic. yes that does include the terrible puns. you're welcome.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> highkey i've given up finishing this in under 10 chapters oop

Light rain was falling, but none of them minded. It's only when that light rain quickly became a downpour that they picked up their pace. The three were sprinting for cover under the trees, continuing to make their way back to their camp. "It's impossible to see in this damn rain. This is just great. Those two probably already abandoned camp." Akira muttered.

El was following a small distance behind, looking somewhat pale. Link took notice and slowed to match the hero's speed. Akira looked behind him and saw the two moving slower than before and matched his pace with theirs. "Are you okay? You look pale." Link asked. El simply nodded. Neither of them pressed the issue, choosing to press forward.

They heard a thud behind them and looked to see El collapsed on the cold, wet ground. The two rushed to his side in an instant, carefully rolling him onto his back. "El! Hey!" Akira shook the unconscious hero in hopes of waking him up.

"Don't shake him, he might be hurt!" Link scolded as he looked the other over.

"There's no way he's hurt, he's been with me the whole time and I haven't taken my eyes off him for more than a few seconds! Besides, that Byleth guy healed the only injury he had when we met him, so he's fine now!"

"Are you absolutely sure about that?"

"Of course I am! What, do you think I'm a liar?" A soft groan from El interrupted their argument. Akira's frustrated expression disappeared and shifted to one of worry. "We shouldn't be arguing right now, we need to find shelter. There's gotta be someplace better than a few trees." He said. Link nodded.

Akira shrugged off his sweatshirt before laying it over El and lifting him up. They looked through the woods carefully in hopes of finding some form of cover from the rain before spotting a cave. Akira rushed over with Link in tow. He saw a faint light coming a bit further down from the cave and slowed. Link drew his sword and led them down the cave, wary of any puppets that could be in there. When they reached the source of the light, Akira felt relief wash over him. Byleth and Dark Pit were both present and sitting by a fire, Dark Pit looking much more soaked than Byleth. "You guys don't realize how relieved I am to see you." Akira sighed.

"What happened to El?" Byleth asked, standing up to get a closer look.

"He collapsed on our way here. He's not hurt, but he looks sick." Byleth thought for a moment before nodding.

"He'll need dry clothes. Or at least a dry shirt. His looks soaked through." Byleth noted as he lifted up Akira's soaking wet sweatshirt and tossed it aside. El's shirt was indeed soaked through as if it absorbed the water like a sponge.

"We don't have any spare clothes, though..."

Link, who had sat next to Dark Pit by the fire, thought for a moment before he began rummaging through his bag, pulling out a green tunic that, for all intents and purposes, really shouldn't have fit in the bag in the first place. "This is all I've got, but it'll work, right?" He shrugged. Akira took the tunic and nodded.

"Thanks. We should probably get some food started in case El wakes up. And just in general, assuming everyone here is as starved as I am about now." Akira laughed as he started fighting with El's belt.

"I'll go find some ingredients for soup. I'm sure there's something out there I can use." Link said as he stood up.

"How do we know you're not gonna throw in some sort of poisonous berry or something, huh?" Dark Pit snapped. Link stared him dead in the eyes, tense silence between the two.

"I'm not heartless. I wouldn't poison someone's food even if I was being forced to. Frankly, I'm offended you'd even assume such a thing. Now, if anyone needs me, I'll be outside. I'm sure the rain's let up at least a little." Link pulled out a hood from his bag and put it on, pulling it over his head and heading outside. Dark Pit huffed as he crossed his arms.

"I believe you told me earlier about how we shouldn't make assumptions?" Byleth chimed, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Shut it, you."

Akira ignored the two, having gotten El's coat off and tossed it aside. As he started pulling up the other's shirt, he paused. On the hero's stomach was a large star-shaped scar, large enough that it even covered some of his chest. It looked rather nasty if Akira was honest. The thief quickly shoved the thought aside. It was rude to stare, after all. He slid off the hero's shirt, taking notice as to how cold his arms were, and slipped Link's tunic on him. The soaked clothes sat in a pile off to the side, forgotten.

"Hey, Byleth, mind lending your coat to El here?" Akira asked over his shoulder. The professor removed his coat and brought it to Akira, who draped it over El. It was big enough that it covered his entire body besides his head. "Thanks. I appreciate your help." Akira stated with a smile.

"No thanks are needed. I'm glad I can help." The professor replied, flashing a faint smile of his own. He returned to his spot on the cave floor, sighing as he slumped back against the wall. Akira sat on his knees and shifted El's head onto his lap. All the group could do now was wait for Link's return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter is only going to exist for self indulgent reasons. just saying that now.
> 
> also i casually slipped in one of my headcanons for el because god has no control over me. ha.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at this point i've just decided to shove in as much luminjoker as possible. i'm not sorry. anyway self indulgent chapter in a self indulgent fic woohoo lets gooooooo. im posting this at 2:30 and i've done the basic grammarly check so hopefully i didn't put any stupid typos.

El woke up groaning, everything a bit too fuzzy and muffled for his liking. He felt warm and cold at the same time, something that wasn't very pleasant if he was honest. A warm hand held his cheek and he leaned into it without really thinking. "...cold...yeah, I can..." His hearing was starting to get clearer, at least. That's nice.

"Hey, are you actually awake this time?" Akira asked with a small laugh as the hero blinked up at him, confusion clear on his face. "Blink once if you can actually tell what I'm saying." El blinked in response. "Okay, welcome back to the world of the living, El." Akira laughed again. El tried to sit up, but his head spun from doing so even slightly. Akira gently pushed him back down. "You are obviously not feeling well, bud. But just for the sake of asking, you feeling okay?"

El groaned. "If I was, I think there'd be a serious problem."

"Yeah, I agree with you on that. Do you wanna try sitting up again?" El nodded in response and Akira helped him sit up slowly. El wasn't hit with a wave of dizziness and felt something fall on his lap. He looked down and a black coat sat folded over in his lap. El didn't think much of it as he draped it over his shoulders and wrapped it around himself in hopes of retaining some heat, scooting over to sit shoulder to shoulder with Akira.

Link, Byleth, and Dark Pit were all sitting around the fire, Dark Pit falling asleep where he was sitting while Link and Byleth were watching El, smiles on both. "You scared us pretty good there, honestly. We look away for a few seconds and you just pass out in the middle of the forest. How are you feeling?"

"...Cold. And tired. How long was I asleep?"

"I don't know, honestly. I was gonna make something to eat, but for some bizarre reason, this forest has nothing edible. I looked for hours, trust me. My hood is still soaked and I came back an hour ago." Link gestured to a piece of cloth lying near a pile of clothes that appeared to be mostly dry. The cloth in question had a small puddle under it, presumably from an attempt to wring out all the water. "Anyway, the fact of the matter is, we have nothing to eat, I really wish I could be more helpful but sadly I ate the last of my provisions two days ago. Sorry."

"It's the thought that counts." Byleth reassured. "Anyway, El, how long would you say you've been feeling ill?"

El furrowed his brow, confused. "I don't understand."

"I don't believe you just suddenly got sick from being in the rain for a little too long. Please answer the question."

"Um... A couple of days. A little before we met you." El answered. Akira muttered something that went ignored by El, who yawned and leaned heavily again the other. "Can I go back to sleep?"

"I suppose. Get all the rest you need." Byleth stated. El let his eyes close and in a few seconds, he was out.

\---

El woke up again later in pitch-black darkness, reeling from a painful memory that came back to him in his dreams. Gasps and sobs shook his body as he struggled to calm down. He thought he heard someone speak as a hand rested on his shoulder. "El? El, calm down! Breathe, El, come on." Akira's voice echoed in the cave before he began speaking softly. El's sobs grew a bit softer as he processed what was happening. "There you go, that's good. You're okay." Warm arms pulled him to the other's chest, his head resting on Akira's shoulder. El wanted to reject his help. It made him feel like he was being weak. But instead, he accepted it gratefully, trying not to cry as he did.

Silence came over them and they sat like that for a while, El's shaking body somewhat controlled by Akira's tight hold on him. Akira pulled back and rested his forehead against El's own, sighing. "Are you alright now?"

"Y-Yeah... Thanks." The hero replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, what had you up so late? Bad dream?"

"...Yeah. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Hey, that's fine. I won't force you. I might force you back to sleep, though." Akira laughed.

El leaned back and yawned. "No need, I'll just pass out on you, thanks." The hero all but fell into Akira's arms, much to the other's surprise.

"Woah, I don't mind this but could you at least warn me first? You almost knocked me over and I'm pretty sure neither of us would like to bash our heads in on the floor." El only grunted in response, settled in his position. Akira rolled his eyes before he scooted back to the wall carefully to not disturb El. He let his own eyes close as well and he was out in a few seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i might as well just tag luminjoker at this point tbfh


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cutting away from the main group for a bit, this chapter happened because i saw a post about how pit reminds cloud of sora and immediately thought of the scene with pit and cloud so of course i had to write it. hope you guys don't mind this little bit of filler, tho i swear this'll tie into the next (and probably last) chapter.

The team was getting worried. It's been a whole day and they still couldn't find any sign of their lost friends. The other three heroes were clearly distraught over El going missing. Sonic and Bayonetta both were worried about Akira's well being as well.

Cloud followed close behind the group, keeping an eye out for any sign of the two. Pit was lagging behind everyone else, walking in front of Cloud and staring at something in his hand. The swordsman matched his pace with the other and nudged the angel with his elbow, snapping him from whatever trance he was in. "What's got you acting all weird? Usually you're up at the front being loud."

"It's nothing, really! Just that I've been thinking about yesterday. I think - actually, I know the one that attacked us on the bridge was Pittoo." Pit said.

"Pittoo?"

"Dark Pit. He looks just like me except, you know, dark and stuff."

"I see. How do you know he's the one that attacked us?"

"That arrow that was shot at us looked like one of the arrows from my bow. Plus, I picked up this when he flew by us." Pit held up a black feather. Cloud looked at it carefully.

"Yeah, that's pretty solid proof. Looks like we'll have to do something about him." Cloud stated nonchalantly.

"I'm worried about El and Akira, but I think I'm worried about Pittoo a little more. I get the feeling that he doesn't want to hurt us, but he can't control himself. Kinda like how I was..." The angel's wings drooped as he stared at the feather in his hand with clear worry on his face. Cloud doesn't think he's ever seen Pit act so dejected. He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Those two are strong kids. I'm sure they're already hard at work trying to find us as we speak. As for Dark Pit, I'm sure those two already saved him. He may have gotten the drop on us, but I doubt they'd let it happen again. Though, I'm a little worried about El. He didn't seem like he was doing well. But, I suppose if he gets sick, at least he has someone to take care of him. Anyway, they're all strong enough to take care of themselves and each other, so I wouldn't worry too much." Cloud ignored the wide-eyed look Pit was giving him. Cloud didn't usually give his toughts on things like this. Hell, he barely reacted when Akira and El got separated from them. And yet he's willingly sharing his views on the matter. Pit gave a small smile, more than Cloud's seen on him all day.

"Yeah, you're right! They're all strong, I'm sure they're all okay! Thanks, Cloud!" The angel pumped his fists by his sides, practically beaming. Cloud ruffled his hair and laughed softly as Pit giggled.

"No problem. Let's try to keep that energy up, 'kay? You should go cheer the others up. I know Solo's been freaking out all day today and he seems like he could use someone to ease his mind." The swordsman pat Pit on the back and the angel nodded at his words.

"Yeah. I'll go see him now!" Pit then sped up and headed to near the front of their group. Cloud chuckled softly before seeing the green-haired hero start lagging behind until he was walking in step with him.

"What're you doing?" He voiced his confusion at the other, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Pit suggested I come see you. He said you helped cheer him up, so you could probably help me too." His voice was unusually soft, Cloud noticed.

"I'm the go-to for emotional support now? Alright, what's got you acting so weird?"

Solo hesitated before he spoke. "I'm scared that El's gotten into some kind of trouble he can't handle or something. I know he's got Akira with him, but I'm worried Galeem's got some sort of trick up his sleeve and that he'll do something to El. He's like a brother to me, I don't want to relive having my family taken from me again." The hero spoke with a shaky voice and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

Cloud was positive he was going to be no help here, but he couldn't just not try. "I know how it feels to lose your family, but if El's anywhere near as good a fighter as you, which he is, you don't have to worry too much. He wouldn't go down easy. I've seen him fight, and he's one stubborn kid when he wants to be. Besides, Akira's there to back him up when he needs it. They could probably take us all on at once and win together. We don't have to worry about them too much." Solo was giving him the same look Pit had been earlier.

"I know, but I'm still worried. I can't help it."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't or can't be worried, I'm just saying that you don't have to worry too much. He's got at least one person there to help him. Sometimes that's enough. And if those two free any of the others under Galeem's control, then he's got more people to look out for him."

"But what if they-"

"Listen, I get that you're worried. I'm worried about him too. But as long as he at least has Akira there, we don't have to worry too much. You know as well as I do that Akira wouldn't let anything happen to him. Kid's too selfless for that. He'd probably fight to the death to keep him safe if he had to. And they're both smart enough to know when to run when things get tough. Besides, it's only been a day. I know a lot can happen in a day, but we should just stay calm and hope they're alright."

"I... You're right. Thank you. And, um... I'm sorry. About your family, I mean."

"It's fine. How about a proposal? If we don't find those two by tonight, I'll run ahead, find them, and drag them back here myself if I have to. I can take Pit if you're worried about something happening to me."

Solo thought for a moment before he nodded. "That sounds good with me. Just, please be careful. You're kinda like a brother to me too. If something happened to you because you promised you'd find them, I don't think I'd be able to live with myself."

"Hey, have a little faith in me! You can rest assured, I'm not letting anything happen to me. Now, c'mon, we're falling behind the others now." Cloud gestured to the steadily growing gap between the two and the rest of their friends. Solo gasped and started running to catch up. Cloud laughed before doing the same. He was going to keep his promise, no matter what.

\---

The sun was beginning to set and there was still no sign of the missing hero or thief. Erdrick reluctantly decided that their best choice was to set up camp for the night. Cloud pulled Pit aside. "Listen, I need you to come with me."

"What for?"

"I promised Solo I'd go on ahead and find El and Akira if we didn't see them at all by nighttime. If we both go, then we'll be able to find them faster. Once we find them, I want you to fly back to the others and let them know."

"I can't fly, though! We both know that!"

"Okay, I didn't really mean flying. More like falling with style. Anyway, I was gonna throw you up in the air and then you start gliding back to these guys once we find those two. Those wings can at least do that, right?"

"Well, y-yean, sure. But how come you didn't think of this earlier?"

"Because, now are you in or not?"

"Of course! When are we going?"

"Now. C'mon."

"Wha - now?! Why now?!"

"Because. Now c'mon!"

"Alright, I'm going!"


	8. Chapter 8

They set out the next day with the intent to find their friends as soon as possible. The sun was already beginning to go down, as they left late in the day due to them oversleeping. El, in no condition to move considering he kept fading in and out of consciousness, was fast asleep on Akira's back. The hero weakly mumbled things in his sleep and he felt like an ice pack against Akira's back. They reached a point in the path where a steep incline down what was quickly becoming a mountain was forming. A fall from there wouldn't be very good for any of them.

A thud behind them caught their attention. They turned around to find a puppet of Ike standing behind them. "This one looks way stronger than the last few. Akira, get El to safety." Link ordered, drawing his sword.

Akira shifted El on his back. "Alright. Be careful." He then took off, leaving the three to deal with the puppet.

"Any plans?" Link asked.

"We don't know how strong that spirit is. We should stay on our guard." Byleth stated.

Dark Pit huffed. "It's clearly not gonna move unless we do first. Since you're both cowards, I'll take the first hit." He nocked an arrow and aimed for the puppet before releasing and watching it fly. It hit the puppet right in the head, immediately causing it to charge at them.

"Okay, guess we're going to strategize on the fly, then!" Link yelled in frustration. Ike swung at Link and struck his side, sending him sliding across the dirt. "Dark Pit, think before you act, dammit!"

"Hey, at least I did something!" The angel in question yelled before dodging one of Ike's attacks, jumping and landing a few feet away. Swapping his bow for an Electroshock Arm, he rushed at the puppet and swing his arm at it, hitting it hard and sending it flying off the cliff. "Well wasn't that easy? You guys are weak." Dark Pit turned and began walking away. The puppet lept up from the cliffside and landed a harsh blow to the angel as it landed on solid ground. Dark Pit yelled, cursing under his breath as he was sent flying.

Byleth wordlessly snuck up on the puppet, but before he could attack it, it spun around and grabbed him. Byleth stood stunned for a moment, just long enough for the puppet to throw him over its head and into Dark Pit who was beginning to stand up. The two collided and hit the ground, groans and curses, mostly from Dark Pit, accompanying the fall.

Akira watched from afar, hidden in the trees on the other side of the path. El was resting against a tree, half-conscious. The hero began to stand up, much to the thief's surprise. "El, what are you doing?! Sit down, you aren't in the condition to do anything!"

"They need... help, and I want to... help them..." El coughed, leaning against the tree for support. "I can't just... sit here and do... nothing..!" El stumbled as he pushed himself away from the tree. Akira stood up and grabbed the other's arms, halting his movements.

"El, you're sick! Just stay here and I'll go help them, okay?" Akira begged. El shot a glare at Akira over his shoulder.

"I can do this, now let me help!" He ripped his arms free with strength Akira wasn't aware he had and started running. Akira stood there dazed for a moment before fear took over and he ran after the hero.

The puppet walked up to the two still on the ground, unphased as Link ran over and skidded to a halt in front of them. "You're going to have to go through me if you want to hurt them." The puppet was about to attack before someone grabbed it from behind. Link stared in surprise for a moment before he saw El's head poking over its shoulder. "El, what are you doing?! Get out of here!" Link yelled.

El struggled with the puppet for a moment before a bright light enveloped him. The hero shut his eyes tightly, prepared for the pain this was going to cause him. A loud bang was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

Akira watched in horror as an explosion came from the hero, knocking himself out and severely weakening the puppet. The hero was sent flying back, falling off the cliff. Without even thinking, Akira dove after him, holding him tightly by the waist when he reached him. He threw his grappling hook at the cliff edge and let himself swing into the wall, yelling in pain as his back slammed against stone. Even after that, he held on tightly to El sitting unconscious in his arm. The grappling hook pulled them up and Akira heaved El up onto the ground before pulling himself up as well. The Ike puppet was now standing over them, red eyes practically glowing. Akira squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for an attack, but all he heard was the clang of metal against metal. He peaked up and saw a familiar swordsman in front of him, holding back Ike's sword with his own oversized one. "Cloud!"

"Nice to see you two are alright." Cloud noted before seeing El's bruised and unconscious form. "Well, mostly alright. Now, as for this guy here..." Cloud's attention returned to the puppet in front of him. He pushed against its sword and lifted up, flinging the blade from its hands. Then, he grabbed the puppet and began lifting it off the ground. He spun around and flung it off the cliffside, watching it fall and fade away. He knelt down to the two on the ground, healing their injuries with magic. "You're gonna have a lot of people crowding you two when we get back." Cloud noted with a smile.

Akira sighed as he heaved El up onto his back with some help from Cloud. "Trust me, I know."

"You guys were alright on your own, right?"

"Yeah. We managed to get some help along the way." Akira gestured to Link, Byleth, and Dark Pit beginning to walk over. "They held off that puppet before El decided he had to get himself involved." The thief sighed as he looked at the hero on his back. "Well, what are we waiting for? The others are nearby, right?"

"They should be coming this way now. I sent Pit back to get them once we found you guys. We can meet them halfway." Cloud said. He started walking back the way he came, the rest of their small group following along.

\---

"Easy now, El. I've got you." Akira held the other's arm around his shoulder. El insisted he was fine to walk, and while Akira begged to disagree, he eventually gave up trying to convince him otherwise.

"Hey, Akira? Sorry I yelled at you earlier. I don't have any excuse for how I acted." El glanced nervously at Akira as if he was worried he was still upset about it.

"Don't worry about that, I'm not upset about it. Besides, Cloud told me your little outburst is what helped him find us, so it all worked out in the end. We'll get to see our friends again soon, and you'll get the rest you need."

El pushed himself off Akira, confident in his ability to walk on his own now that his legs didn't feel like jelly. He stumbled for a moment before Akira caught him and helped him steady out. Familiar voices began growing closer and the two looked up. El caught one glimpse of Erdrick and the other heroes and he was running in a second, stumbling and tearing up. He ran right into Erdrick's arms, feeling the other two join the hug. Solo was crying and thanking the goddess, Eight was laughing with tears in his eyes, and Erdrick was just quiet as he rubbed El's back. Tears were pouring from El's eyes now, and the three heroes paused when they heard him sob.

"Hey, are you alright, bud?" Eight asked.

"I'm sorry, I just... I'm sorry I scared you guys so much! Cloud said you guys were freaking out over me and I just-" El was cut off by another sob, and the other three pulled him back into a tight hug in response.

"We know you didn't mean to make us worry, El. You're alright and you're back here and that's all that matters to us." Erdrick said. A small laugh escaped him as he rubbed the boy's head, ruffling his hair.

"I promise I won't let something like that happen to you again, El! We won't get separated ever again!" Solo declared, smiling even with tears still streaming down his cheeks.

Cloud headed over and the three heroes let go of El to let the swordsman do whatever it was he was going to do. El turned and Cloud pulled him into a hug, lifting him up off the ground. "Nice to have you back, kid." El was quiet for a moment before he started crying again, but this time for a different reason. A smile grew on his face as he hugged the swordsman back, crying as he did. Cloud lowered the boy to the ground and was surprised when the other three heroes went back to hugging El, dragging both him and the blond to the ground.

"Thanks for keeping your promise, Cloud. You've kind of earned a place in our weird little family now. Hope you don't mind." Solo said, laughing quietly.

Cloud smiled as he thought about it. "Know what? I don't think I mind. It makes me feel a little less lonely knowing I've got you guys." He replied. Solo smiled as well, and their small family was still laughing and crying even after getting up off the ground and giving El one last hug. They were all relieved to have their brother back, and they were grateful to get him back safe and sound.

Akira smiled at the scene before he was all but tackled to the ground. He laughed as he noticed the blue blur himself latched onto him. "Alright, speedy, you can get off me. I'm just fine."

"Hey, I didn't doubt for a second you weren't okay! Except for when you fell off that bridge. And when we didn't find you for a whole day. Okay, yeah, I admit it, I was worried about you. You'd be worried about me too if you looked away for a sec and suddenly, BAM, I'm gone!" Sonic stated with a pout, his words accompanied by wild hand gestures as he rolled off Akira and sat with his legs crossed on the ground. Akira sighed as he sat up, shaking his head.

"Not really. You like doing that to me." He said, laughing as the hedgehog's pout seemed to deepen. "But, then again, I don't have super speed, so I can see your point. Sorry I freaked you out."

"You better be sorry!" Sonic's pout faltered for a moment before he sighed and smiled. "With all that aside, though, I'm really glad you're alright, Akira. I was about ready to run all over the place to find you two. And I know everyone else was getting there too. You should probably be glad Cloud did it before I could." Sonic said with a chuckle. Akira laughed as well.

"Yeah. I appreciate the sentiment, though." The thief didn't notice Bayonetta coming up behind him until a pair of arms wrapped around his neck.

"You had me quite worried, you brat. You're lucky I didn't hunt you down and drag you back here myself."

"I missed you too, Bayo."

Dark Pit didn't have much time to prepare for getting the life squeezed out of him by his original while he distractedly watched Link talk with Zelda. He wanted to fight it, but something made him decide against it. He thought he heard a sniffle from Pit. When he managed to get Pit to stop nearly breaking his ribs for five seconds, he could see tears were steadily flowing down his face. He didn't get to look much longer as Pit pulled him back into a tight hug, thankfully without the bone-crushing this time. "Pittoo, I was so worried about you! I kept thinking about how scared I was having to fight my friends, and then I realized you were like that too, and I-" A sob made the angel stop for a moment. "I missed you!"

"What the- my name isn't-" another sob from Pit made Dark Pit's words trail off. He sighed and hugged the other angel back, a few tears pricking at his eyes, much to his annoyance. Still, he could quit being prideful for a moment, right? "I missed you too, I guess. Idiot..."

Byleth hung back, watching his allies reunite with their friends and family. "You know, you're gonna be stuck with these guys now." Sothis piped up in his head.

"I know."

"Looks like you're gonna be getting a lot of new friends. About time. I was beginning to think you were a friendless loser."

"Aren't you my friend, Sothis?"

The girl sputtered out a few nonsense words and insults before she finally gave up and sighed. "I guess so. I mean, I wouldn't talk to you if I wasn't, now would I?"

"This is true."

They watched on in silence before Sothis finally broke it. "They're a lively bunch, aren't they?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, honestly."


End file.
